


Fighting someone else's battle

by BooksandKpop



Series: Soft Fics 9: Every SF9 Pairing (OT2) [21]
Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: I'm so sorry, KickboxingCoach!Youngbin, M/M, Mentions of violence and injuries, Platonic Relationship, Student!Hwiyoung, i tried to make this soft but it was difficult, implied gang violence and past abuse, youngbin treats hwiyoung like a brother and he cares a lot for him ok?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-21 15:35:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16579286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooksandKpop/pseuds/BooksandKpop
Summary: He became a coach since he couldn't fight for himself anymore. It was gratifying, teaching these kids discipline and respect. The only problem was, not all his students kept their fights to the studio.





	Fighting someone else's battle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TpLoz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TpLoz/gifts).



When he was banned from competitive fights, Youngbin didn't let that stop him from keeping up his passion. Instead, he scraped together all his winnings from the previous few fights and bought a derelict old building in one of the rougher neighbourhoods. With the help of his good friends, he turned it into his very own kickboxing studio. It was slow to start, but soon enough Youngbin had a steady stream of kids and teens in and out through his doors learning the best way to defend themselves. The most important thing to him was making sure they didn't use their new skills in a bad way. So if they wanted to come back day after day, they made one promise to him - kickboxing was for self-defence only, and they were never to instigate unnecessary battles.

And for the most part, they listened. But there was always one.

Hwiyoung was a great kid; bright smiles and bursting with potential from the very first day he set a nervous foot inside Youngbin's gym. For the first few months, he just took part in the group fitness sessions, but Youngbin could sense a natural talent for the sport. So after a few attempts to convince him to take one-on-one lessons, the younger boy finally agreed. And he never looked back. Very quickly, Hwiyoung became one of the best fighters he had ever trained, even winning sparring matches against bigger, more experienced students. It was only natural for him to take on more than just a coaching role towards him.

Youngbin didn't have a younger brother. The closest he had was Chani, the kid who used to live next door to him before he became a professional fighter. Sometimes he still thought about him and wondered how he was doing. But with Hwiyoung, all his protective instincts were amplified. Of course he cared a lot about all his students. He had set up his studio in an area that was known to be a bad place for younger generations to grow up, and he always made sure that they knew his gym was a safe place and they were always welcome to come to him for help. Hwiyoung was different though - he was scrawny and tired sure, but he had a spark in his eyes that showed he wasn't about to give up any time soon. And Youngbin wanted to make sure, more than anything else, that that spark never faded. 

He invited the younger boy to his apartment for dinner and gave him extra attention during their sessions together. He made sure Hwiyoung was attending school and always got his homework done before they started sparring. It was more than just caring for him like a student, Youngbin really felt like Hwiyoung was a younger brother to him, and he wanted to protect him and foster his growth into a well-rounded young adult.

So when he started showing up with cuts and bruises that he couldn't explain, Youngbin was more than just a little worried. He had students before who hadn't followed his one rule of no fighting outside the studio - most of them left, not wanting to be held back by the moral code he tried to get them to hold themselves too. But with Hwiyoung, he was shocked at first. This kid had never shown any indication that he would look for fights, and if it had been self-defence Youngbin was sure that he wouldn't have been as badly beaten as he was. 

But no matter how many times he asked, Hwiyoung refused to reveal the real reason he was so battered, continuously feeding him lies about falling down the stairs or off his bike or running into a tree. Youngbin really didn't want to pry, afraid that he would scare the younger boy away and that was the last thing he wanted. There was no way he could just sit back and watch as every week he came in with fresh bruises on his arms and painful looking scratches on his face, so he made the decision to follow him home one night after the studio closed. 

It was an invasion of privacy he knew and he felt really bad about doing it, but he couldn't just let the injuries continue without knowing the cause. If Hwiyoung really was starting fights, at least he could confront him about it and hopefully change his behaviour. And if it was something else, all Youngbin could hope was that he would be able to help. As he followed the younger boy down side streets and alleyways any other person would avoid with a vengeance, he began to really wonder if he knew him at all. It was natural that he wouldn't share everything with Youngbin, but after all their months of training and spending time together he hoped that maybe Hwiyoung would have trusted him enough to come to him with his problems. 

When Hwiyoung stopped after about twenty minutes of walking, it was beside one of the many run-down buildings that had once promised to be shiny new offices for businesses that decided it wasn't worth investing in an area that had such a bad name. Youngbin kept a distance that was far enough away not to be spotted but not so far that he wouldn't be able to jump in to help if something happened. He watched as the younger boy climbed in through a broken window with his backpack clutched carefully in his hands. There was no way he could see what was going on inside, but he didn't want to get too close in case Hwiyoung suddenly came back out.

Fifteen - twenty - thirty minutes he waited for his student to reappear from inside the building that didn't look like it provided much safety at all. Just as he was losing his patience and feeling in his toes, a blonde head of hair clambered back out onto the street. Hwiyoung didn't look any worse for wear than when he entered the building, but he no longer had his backpack. Youngbin followed from a distance until the young boy made his way back to his own home in a slightly better side of the neighbourhood. 

Not until Youngbin made it home himself and collapsed into bed did he wonder what was so important about that building that Hwiyoung would treck out there after a gruelling practice and risk punishment from his father for being so late home. He had a restless sleep that night, trying to imagine what he would be willing to put himself in such danger for, but all he could see was Hwiyoung's face in his dreams.

Three more nights Youngbin followed Hwiyoung after practice to the same building, and each time the same thing happened. The young boy would enter the building only to reemerge half an hour later, sometimes with and other times without his bag, and head home. Each of the days following he came in with no fresh bruises or cuts that Youngbin could see, and he briefly wondered if whatever had been going on had come to an end. But of course, just when he thought that everything finally came to light.

The weather was even colder tonight than it had been all week, and Youngbin was regretting not bringing a coat or something out with him. He was more worried about Hwiyoung though, in his thin jacket and sweatpants he was sure to catch a cold. There was something else off tonight though, Hwiyoung was jumpier and almost caught Youngbin twice. It wasn't until they reached the building he was starting to get familiar with that Youngbin sensed the danger.

Hanging around outside the entrance to the would-have-been offices was a group of four big men. From what he could see in the dim light none of them looked all too friendly, with what were probably gang tattoos decorating their hands and necks. Despite the obvious threat from these men, Hwiyoung didn't change path and instead kept walking right towards them. Fighting against all his instincts to run in and save his student from this situation, Youngbin hung back just out of sight - although he was considerably closer than the previous nights. Close enough that the words spoken carried in the still, winter's air. 

 

"Well look who we finally found huh? Little tiger here thought he could hide from us again."

 

The other three men laughed gruffly at what was said by the likely leader of their group. Hwiyoung's hands clenched tighter around the straps of his bag, but other than that Youngbin couldn't see any change in his posture. He made to step around the men, but the man in the centre held out a tattooed arm and grabbed his shoulder to stop him. Youngbin gritted his teeth but stayed hidden. 

 

"Where are you going little tiger? You gonna squeeze that lanky body of yours inside to see your little pet? We tried getting in, but you must have the door barricaded really heavy. Why is that, huh?"

 

Hwiyoung stood still and remained silent, and Youngbin was frantically searching his brain for a possible reason that all this was happening. He couldn't imagine Hwiyoung being in a gang of any sort, so maybe it was to do with his father? That wouldn't explain why they kept calling him 'little tiger' though, or what they meant by a 'pet'. Torn between staying back and jumping in to help the younger boy, he almost missed hearing Hwiyoung's next words.

 

"Leave her alone."

 

There was a beat of silence before the leader swung his hand down and delivered a resounding smack to the side of Hwiyoung's face. To his credit, he didn't falter in the slightest, but that only seemed to make it worse. Before Youngbin could even process what was happening, all four men started attacking the younger boy and he simply let it happen. Youngbin couldn't stay hidden any longer and rushed in to help.

They were obviously not expecting anyone else because he had two of them on the ground before they even registered his presence. The third took a swing at him but he easily dodged and incapacitated him. All the while Hwiyoung never moved, body rigid where he stood. The last man, the leader, let out a surprised noise and looked like he was about to say something but Youngbin wasn't about to listen to anything that would come from his mouth. Instead, he sent three quick and precise punches to his weakest spots and had him on the ground in less than a minutes. And Hwiyoung stayed still.

 

"Hwiyoung, Hwiyoung? Are you alright?"

 

His cheek was already swelling up and Youngbin could see the red marks on his neck even in the dim light. There were unshed tears in his unfocused eyes as he stared blankly forward. Youngbin didn't want to touch him in case he hurt him, but the younger boy wasn't responding to his words. It took a few minutes, but after chasing off the four men with threats of violence he never wished to resort to, it seemed like Hwiyoung was finally starting to come back to himself.

 

"Youngbin? Wha-what are you doing here?"

 

There was a wobble in his voice that betrayed the pain he was in and it hurt Youngbin more than he knew was possible. He didn't want to admit he had been following the younger boy, but he figured that if he showed honesty then maybe Hwiyoung would respond in kind. So he told him about the last few nights, and as he did the tears began to fall across his bruised cheeks. Youngbin wanted to ask what was the reason, but for now, he decided to leave it be. Instead he just opened his arms and the younger boy fell into them for a hug. Hwiyoung sniffled into his chest and all he wanted to do was protect him from the world from now on.

 

"I'll keep you safe Hwiyoung, I promise."

"I - can you keep someone else safe instead?"

 

Youngbin was confused, but the pleading in the younger boys voice and eyes made him agree without a second thought. He would do anything for Hwiyoung, just as long as he could protect him from the harm he had been suffering. After a minute, he finally pulled away from Youngbin's embrace and pulled him towards the broken window he always climbed through. Up close, it was a much smaller gap than he had realised, and had Hwiyoung been any bigger he would never have fit through. Without saying anything, he pulled his bag off his back and expertly made his way into the building. 

When he was on the other side, he beckoned for Youngbin to climb through as well and as sceptical as he was, he followed. Luckily, he was flexible and agile enough to squeeze through without catching himself on the broken glass. Inside it was even darker than the dim street, no light except for that filtering in through the window behind them. But Hwiyoung wasn't fazed, just pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket and switching on the torch. It was only as they were walking through the abandoned space that Youngbin noticed Hwiyoung shivering, the adrenaline from the confrontation earlier having worn off and leaving him freezing. He was going to offer the younger boy his own jacket but stayed silent as everything suddenly became clear.

Huddled on the ground in a far corner of the room was a young girl with a dirty face and terrified eyes. She had a ragged blanket pulled tightly around her shoulders and a piece of wood clutched in one hand. Hwiyoung slowly made his way towards her while Youngbin stood where he was in shock. The blonde reached her and cautiously put down the bag in front of her. He watched fascinated as the younger pulled out a few bottles of water and some wrapped food from the bag and pushed them towards the girl on the floor. 

As she took the supplies for herself, Hwiyoung whispered to her too quiet for Youngbin to hear. But after a minute he turned around and motioned for him to come closer. Slowly, trying to make himself look as non-threatening as possible, Youngbin made his way over to the pair. When he got close enough to see her clearly, his heart broke even more. She looked so young, far too young to be in a situation like this. Her face was gaunt and even her hands looked worryingly thin. He crouched down so he was at eye level with her and tried smiling gently. 

 

"Gahyeon, this is Youngbin. He runs the gym I told you about before, remember?"

 

She nodded hesitantly, never taking her eyes off Youngbin's face. Hwiyoung continued speaking in hushed, soothing tones to her, explaining that Youngbin was a friend and would help keep her safe. At the word 'safe' she turned back towards Hwiyoung and looked him over in the torchlight.

 

"I heard those men outside, they kept yelling for me to come out. And then it went quiet and I was scared they were hurting you again."

 

Youngbin felt his breath catch in his throat at the sound of her voice. It was raspy yet sweet and sounded so weary and fragile. He didn't think his heart could take being broken any more times than it had already been tonight.

 

"They didn't hurt me, Youngbin was there to stop them. And he's never going to let them hurt you again, right?"

 

Hwiyoung turned to him with a shining hope in his eyes. Right then, Younbgin made the most reckless and impulsive decision he had since the fight that cost him his competitive career.

 

"I promise, no one is ever going to hurt either of you ever again. You can come and live with me and I'll keep you safe."

 

There was a shocked look in both of their eyes at his determined words, but Youngbin wasn't going to back down now that he had said it. This little girl couldn't have been more than twelve years of age, and Hwiyoung was only nineteen himself. Youngbin couldn't let either of them continue to live in a way that they risked getting badly hurt by men with no conscience. So he extended his hand towards Gahyeon and smiled as warmly as he could in the bitter chill. She gingerly reached out towards him and intertwined her slim, frozen fingers with his own. Hwiyoung made a choked noise in the back of his throat and Youngbin softly put his other hand on his student's shoulder. 

 

"I'm going to take care of you from now on. Come on, let's go."

 

Slowly he stood up, letting Gahyeon use him as a balance so she was standing too. Hwiyoung also stood and moved to support the young girl around her waist. But Youngbin instead told him to gather up everything that was scattered around the place; empty bottles and food wrappers and put them all in his bag. As the trio began walking back towards their way out, he noticed that Gahyeon had no shoes and her legs shook as they tried to support her weight. So he asked her if he could carry her instead and after a moment's hesitation, she nodded in agreement. She weighed nothing, and it made Youngbin all the more worried and determined to protect her. 

Eventually, all three of them were back out on the dim street. Out here the wind was even more bitter cold, and while Gahyeon at least was wrapped in a blanket, Hwiyoung was shivering dangerously. Youngbin set the girl down for a moment to shrug off his leather jacket and draped it around the blonde boy's shoulders before lifting her up again. Hwiyoung tried to protest but he refused to listen to it and just began walking in the direction of his apartment. It wasn't a long walk really, but it felt like it took an eternity with how worried he was about the two young kids in his care. 

Finally, they made it back and after a minute of fumbling with his keys, they made it inside to the warmth. He ran a warm bath for Gahyeon and once he was sure she was safe in the water, he began making a hot meal for all three of them. It had been a very long night. Youngbin breathed a sigh of relief when the two young ones were clean and fed and cuddled up safely under the warmest blankets he could find for his bed. Hwiyoung wanted to argue that they couldn't take his bed, but he insisted and the boy was too tired to reject the offer any longer. 

 

You would think that taking two young kids under his care would have changed his life a lot, but really not much was different. He converted his office space into a bedroom for Gahyeon while Hwiyoung shared with him. After the initial cost of supplying them with clothes and other necessities, all that cost more was food. His friends were shocked at first, but quickly became accustomed to the extra bodies in his small apartment and all of them were completely taken with Gahyeon. 

Youngbin continued to work in the job he loved, and when Hwiyoung finished school he took up kickboxing professionally. Gahyeon has enrolled in a school herself and with the help of Inseong, one of Youngbin's good friends as her tutor, she quickly rose to the top of her class. After months of getting settled in and adjusting to the new lifestyle, Youngbin couldn't imagine his life without them. As long as they were living with him, he could protect them from all harm and make sure they would always be safe. And despite his own rules of never fighting except for self-defence, he decided to make an exception for when you were fighting someone else's battle.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from TpLoz; I'd like to request a Youngbin and Hwiyoung fic where Youngbin is Hwiyoung's kickboxing or taekwondo teacher and he starts noticing more bruises than normal and finds out Hwiyoung is being bullied and he puts a stop to it somehow.
> 
> I changed it a little so instead of being bullied, our baby Hwi is protecting someone instead. I know it's a little dark but I hope you guys still liked it!


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